Athena Maxwell Hogwarts Third Year
by essence of your spark
Summary: Journey with Athena Maxwell, a Hogwarts student coming her third year. This story takes place in the next generation. Athena has no idea who her father is. She meets James S.P. and the two hit it off. Turmoil hits when Athena meets a mysterious boy who has been admiring her from afar. James S. Potter/O.C. COMPLETE. LOOK FOR THE NEXT STORY IN THE SERIES: Time and Time Again
1. Prologue

_Prologue:_

_On April 15, 2017 a snowy owl flew past a little stone cottage in Godric's Hollow. Inside, an 11 year old girl with chocolate brown hair and blue eyes was looking through the mail._

_Every time the mail came she always wished she would get mail like her mom. _

_Suddenly a fat envelope with the words: __Athena Maxwell, 555 Godric's Hollow __was in her hands__. _

_The girl was overjoyed. Finally she got mail to flaunt! On her birthday!_

"_Mom, look I got mail." She yelled._

_She never had many friends to talk to, just a few close ones but she didn't see them a lot. _

"_Oh honey that's great, who's it from?" Her mother asked as she peered at the letter._

_She had suspected that it was from them, proudly watching her daughter open the letter. _

"_Dear Ms. Maxwell, We are pleased to in form you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." The girl named Athena read. _

"_Can I go? Please!" She questioned. _

"_Of course, why not!" her mother exclaimed. _

"_Can I tell Dad? Please, this is so important." Athena questioned. Her mother got a dark look on her face… _

"_Maybe later." She muttered, because at the moment her husband was not on the list of people she wanted to talk to. _

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think! When you review it means a lot to me! Thanks! :)**


	2. Kings Cross Station

"Athena, wake up! It's 9:30am! You wouldn't want to miss the Hogwarts Express!" my mother shook me awake. I remembered back to April 15, I was so juvenile still coming out of my 11 year of life. I had definitely matured over the past few years. Or at least I thought so. My hair had become more silky and thick, and my eyes became more piercing blue like my mum's. Funny what turning 13 can do to you.

"Athena Eudora Maxwell, get down here _now!_" my mum yelled again.

I glanced at the clock.

9:45am.

"Coming!" I screamed. Steaming eggs with a piece of toast and orange juice awaited my arrival. My mum sat down next to me with her carton of yogurt and strawberries. Mum has a tendency to worry about time, especially when it was an important day. I shovelled the eggs into my mouth as I was bombarded with information regarding today.

"Okay, so we'll apparate to kings cross around 10:05 and then we can find you a seat and put your trunk away. Oh I'm so excited for you sweetie. You're finally going to go to Hogwarts like me and your fath-…" She trailed off. I kind of just nodded and smiled until the end when I started to listen intently. She never mentions dad, ever. Pushing her light brown hair back, my suave mother flicked her wand and the dishes put themselves away. I fell into a daydream about using magic for everything.

"Don't get any idea's now, you won't be able to do legal magic a good 4 years or so" My mum smirked at me. "Now hurry! You don't want to be late!" Scowling I ran upstairs and packed Star into her cage, made sure my robes were accessible and started to haul everything downstairs.

"Mum, I could use some help here!" I shouted sarcastically. My mum and I had a complicated relationship, because it was only the two of us.

…..

Eventually we managed to make it to Kings Cross Station.

"I absolutely hate side-long apparition" I complained as we walked to the spot where platforms 9 and 10 met.

"You know the deal, I've explained this. Okay ready go!" I was given a little shove, breaking into a run and then through the barrier.

Oh. My. God. The second I saw him I was head over heels for him. He was a tall boy, scraggly black hair like his father. His faced is shaped slightly like an oval and he has his mothers brown eyes. His parents turned around and who do they turn out to be? None other than Harry and Ginny Potter, the former Chaser of the Holyhead Harpies! I love that Quidditch team! This was turning out to be the best day ever. Seriously.

"Athena, stop staring it's rude," my mom scolded.

"Stop staring its rude" I mimicked my mother in a whiney voice. The bad thing was, the boy looked like he was a year older than me. Who would ever want anything to do with a third year? Certainly not a fourth year Gryffindor… I'll just wait and see.

"Athena, earth to Athena! You need to get going or else you are going to miss the train!" I was notified. I gave my mum a long hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You're going to be fine, don't worry about me! I'm going to the safest school on the planet! I promise I'll owl three times a week at least" I consoled my mom.

"I hope you make Gryffindor sweetie. I love you, make me proud!" Boy did I love my mother. It was really sad to be leaving her because we have been together for so long, never really leaving each other.

"I love you, goodbye!" I said as I walked to the scarlet steam engine. Taking a deep breath I stepped into the train, the pungent smell of teenagers and almost teenagers like me filled my nose.

I guess it's an okay smell.

I'm so glad it's not a B.O. smell.

Now _that_ would just be disgusting.

**A/N: I hope you like this first chapter. I just wanted to get some of the information about Athena's life at home, and getting to Kings Cross out of the way. Review!**


	3. Mr Potter and Ms Maxwell

I had been aimlessly wandering the train for a compartment when the boy I saw at the train station poked his head out.

"Hi, I'm James, I'm in Gryffindor in my fourth year. Would you like to come sit with us?" he questioned. I stood their slightly flabbergasted. Nodding my head I entered the compartment and took a seat next to him.

"My name is Athena, I'm going into 3rd year," I told them.

"Rose Weasley, I'm a 2nd year Ravenclaw, " the small redhead spoke.

"Albus Potter, brother of that one over there. It's my first year here," he said quickly. Albus and James looked a lot alike except Albus didn't have the same messy black hair and brown eyes. Albus looked a lot like his father (James looked a little less like Harry Potter).

"Fred Weasley II, I'm a 3rd year Gryffindor," another redheaded boy with blue eyes spoke up. Smiling, I felt the tension leaving my body; they were all so nice. Suddenly, a bleach blonde blue-eyed boy poked his head into our compartment. I jumped out of fright.

"Hello!" he said cheerfully and surveyed the compartment and his gaze stopped on me. Chuckling to myself I couldn't even imagine who this kid might be.

"I'm Athena, nice to meet you…?" I trailed off not knowing his name.

"Scorpius Malfoy, it's my first year," he said stiffly. Gosh, this kid needs to take a chill pill.

"Scorp, I'll catch you later okay?" Albus' small voice sounded from across me. Nodding, Scorpius exited the compartment leaving us in silence.

"Who wants to play some exploding snap?"

* * *

><p>A few hours had passed on the Hogwarts Express. Nothing very interesting happened except for a few stray chocolate frogs and a bunch of candy wrappers, nothing interesting. I despised the fact that my mother didn't send me to Hogwarts sooner. I could've been like every other Wizarding child and go to Hogwarts. After I got my letter she told me I could go, then suddenly she changed her mind and the next day I wasn't going to Hogwarts. I was so angry with her when she told me I wouldn't be going for another two years. I wanted to run away. Even now I found myself missing my mother. A long sigh escaped my body.<p>

"Are you okay?" a soft but concerned James asked. Looking around I noticed that everyone else had gone to change into his or her robes. "Rose, Albus and Fred went to talk to some other people so they won't be back for a bit" he informed me.

"Okay, I'm fine thanks for asking," I found myself saying. I realized that I was putting my guard down for him. I didn't understand, but James just made me want to put my guard down. Not in the sense that I had a shield or anything, just that I was a cautious person.

"So, would you care to tell me about yourself Ms. Maxwell?" James smiled. He kept giving me these looks that would make a girl melt. He was very attractive. What could he possibly want with me? The girl with a single mother, who didn't even know that much about her dad and went to a muggle school for the heck of it.

"You can't tell anybody, it's kind of personal" I confided to him. Giving me the most sincere look he could, I continued on.

"My name is Athena Eudora Maxwell and I'm thirteen years old. My mum's name is Hannah and I don't know that much about my dad because he left when I was little. Well, according to my mother that's what happened. I'm really close with my mum and I went to muggle-school for most of my life. I was born on April 15th, 2006 and I have an owl named Star." I tell him. "Is that enough information Mr. Potter? Why don't you enlighten me about yourself?" I joke. He had moved a little closer to me and I noticed his leg was touching mine. Ignoring it I motioned for him to talk.

"My name is James Sirius Potter. My mum is Ginny Weasley and my dad is Harry Potter. I was born on April 14th 2005. I have two younger siblings named Albus and Lily. Albus is eleven and Lily is nine years old. I have an owl named Henry" he finished. Boy did I hope I make Gryffindor.

* * *

><p>As we were approaching Hogwarts I had my head pressed up against the glass window. The castle was absolutely gorgeous. Nothing I had ever expected it to be.<p>

"I know, it's magnificent," James whispered to me. He said a quick word of luck and then left the compartment. I proceeded to find someone named Hagrid. He turned out to be a giant. Friendly though! We took the boats; I was in the same one with Albus. When we reached a pair of big metal doors, Headmistress McGonagall greeted us.

"Hello students, in a few minutes you will all proceed into the Great Hall to be sorted. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family for the time you are at Hogwarts. Good luck!" she explained to us. I took a deep breath and stepped into the life that I had never known. I had been waiting for this ever since my eleventh birthday.

This was going to be good.

**A/N: I hope this story is enjoyable. We got to know Athena a little better here. For anybody who has read this story before, I am re-editing the chapters and such. The story got a little messed up because I pressed some buttons I wasn't supposed to :( I'm having a blast with Athena and writing this story. If you haven't noticed the thing about her dad is a huge secret. Reviews and story alerts make my day :) Thank you so much! **


	4. Sorting, Food and Old Friends

From the moment I walked into the Great Hall and saw the sorting hat I started to get nervous. The damn hat, stupid piece of cloth that would decide my fate was making me nervous. I felt so stupid. There were a few Hufflepuff's and Slytherin's in the people before me.

"Harvey, Tess" I heard McGonagall read out. Where had I heard that name before? I knew! How could I have forgotten Tess? She was one of my best friends when I was little. Although I didn't see her a lot we were still best friends. Tess had wavy black hair that fell to her shoulders. She was quite muscular and had pretty brown eyes. She had a little sister named Holly, but she was really young because the last time I saw Tess her mother had just given birth. That was about three years ago. I wondered if our mothers had planned to give us the same fate of waiting a few years to go to Hogwarts.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the sorting hat jolted me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Tess skip over to the Gryffindor table happily. I hoped we were still friends after three years. Zoning out once again I was jolted back by someone nudging my side.

"Maxwell, Athena" McGonagall looked at me. Gulping I made my way up to the sorting hat. She placed it on my head and the next thing I knew the sorting hat was in my head!

"_Smart, courageous, hard working, oh yes you are a very smart girl. Cunning too. Maybe Slytherin? That ancestral tie could help you in that house."_

What tie? As far as I knew I didn't have any ties to the Slytherin house.

"_There is someone in Gryffindor. You are quite the feisty, full of yourself Gryffindor. Slytherin will help you though. _

Gryffindor. Please.

"_Sure enough… Although I think the best place for you would be…_ GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted out. I had never been so happy in my life. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding and ran over to sit next to James.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, I'm pretty sure you will find it is everything you dreamed it would be" James told me. Smiling, I stood up and tapped Tess on the shoulder. We hugged and talked for a few minutes and then I went back to my food. I hadn't eaten anything but sweets since the morning. Looking at my hands I realized how pale they were. Gosh, I needed to get a tan! I wondered how much free time I would get and what the classes would be like.

"Ms. Maxwell, would you care for your schedule?" I saw McGonagall standing next to me and I took the paper from her. Looking over my schedule I saw all of the classes I would be taking: _Potions, Herbology, History of Magic, Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against The Dark Arts _and couple of others. I had quite a few classes with the Slytherin's.

"Hey look, we have Potions and History of Magic together!" James blushed. I turned to talk to Rose and Albus for a few minutes until I heard a Prefect hollering something about first years over here. Following him up the stairs to the common room he told us the password, which was _mandrake toadstools_. Clambering through the portrait hole, I entered the most magnificent room ever, the Gryffindor Common Room. I stood there for a few minutes taking in the red and gold, the couches and the warmth of the whole place. The prefect started to talk again but I wasn't in the mood to listen in on the lecture. I follow the girls upstairs and found my stuff. I was in a room with Tess and this girl named Mabel. Not interesting in socializing I flopped down on my bed. It was as soft as my bed at home. Grabbing a quill and some parchment I started to write my mum.

_Dear Mum, _

_How are things at home? I'm doing very well. The food here at Hogwarts is amazing! I made a few friends on the train. Their names are James Potter, Rose Weasley, Fred Weasley, Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius isn't really my friend… I guess more of an acquaintance_. _By the way… I MADE GRYFFINDOR! I'm so happy! Guess who is rooming with me here at Hogwarts? TESS HARVEY! I was so surprised; I didn't know her parents were non-muggles. I'm very tired and I have to get some sleep for tomorrow. I have Charms with the Hufflepuff's first period tomorrow. Maybe you could take Star in for the night and then send her back tomorrow? I love you and miss you!_

_Love,_

_Athena. _

**A/N: I hope that chapter was enjoyable. I have another two O.C.'s Tess Harvey and Mabel Stebbins. Mabel is not going to be a big part of the story; I just needed someone else to room with those two. Any suggestions for Tess will be appreciated! I also wanted Athena to be with James, they're just so meant to be. Reviews and story alerts make my day! **


	5. A Day In the Life

"Athena get up! Do you want to miss breakfast?" Tess asked as she threw a pillow at my head. I am so tired it's not even funny. I don't even know why. Maybe being in a big place is making me tired. I opened my eyes a little wider to see Rose standing over my bed with an expression that scared the crap out of me. "We are going to be late. I'm not waiting for you anymore!" She proclaimed. I let out an exasperated sigh and rolled out of bed as she stomped downstairs. Looking around I realized it was only my lonely self and I. Speed brushing my teeth I gathered my stuff and made my way down to breakfast. As I ran down the stairs I crashed head on into someone and fell down on top of them.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" I gasped. Looking down to see who it was, Albus Potter lay on underneath me. I was lying right on top of him and it was just so awkward. You know in a movie when two people run into each other and fall down… well this was it!

"Oh, hi Athena. Um, s-sorry about t-this" Albus stuttered. He looked kind of flustered, I'm guessing because I was lying on top of him. Offering him my hand I pulled him up off the ground. "Thanks" he grunted.

"Erm…uh I think we should be getting to breakfast" I stated. We walked to the Great Hall in silence. It wasn't a bad silence; it was actually quite nice and comforting. Stopping in front of the doors he pushed them open and held it.

"After you Madame" he joked. Smiling lightly I made my way to sit next to James.

"ATHENA!" James screamed in my ear. Jumping slightly I smacked him on the back of the head. There was cereal everywhere and a few people had started to stare at us. Laughing I turned back to James and he refilled his bowl with cereal. Shoveling some food in my mouth, we ran off to our separate ways. Right as I was walking out of the great hall at a brusque pace I see Star flying towards me with a letter clutched in her hands. "Thanks girl" I cooed to her. Star was really a lovely owl. I did have an owl since I was really little. Honestly sometimes people assume that because I grew up going to a Muggle School I wasn't integrated with magical things and the way of life as a witch or wizard. I picked star out when I got my Hogwarts letter because my mum's owl Tawny passed away. Star is a powerful owl. It looks like the spots on her wings are Stars. I don't know what I would do without her. Unwrapping the letter I grasped the piece of parchment with my mum's lovely handwriting on it.

_**Dear Athena, **_

_**I'm so glad to hear that you made Gryffindor! I'm so proud of you. Also, I didn't know that Tess would be at Hogwarts. We haven't seen her for a long time. Of course I didn't tell you her family is magical because she's not comfortable discussing it. Probably that's why she came late like you. They come from a well… interesting family. If I know my daughter well enough I could say you had trouble getting up this morning? Star should have brought this letter before your first class. I would like to know if you want to have any friends over for the holidays, or if you would like to go anywhere? I can discuss something with Harry and Ginny if you like. I talked to them for a while after the Hogwarts Express left. I am glad you became friends with them because they are all wonderful people. Large family too! I'll see you sooner than you think. **_

_**Love,**_

_**Mum**_

….

We were in Charms class and to be honest, for someone who was behind none of this stuff was very hard. I admired my wand, Elm, 10 1/2 inches, phoenix tail feather. It was great. I was so bored and hoped that this would be over soon. Plus, Professor Flitwick was getting on my nerves…

…..

"Hey Athena!" Tess called my name. We were to go to History of Magic. As we walked she babbled on and on about her classes and home life. I just nodded and smiled. She finally said something that caught my attention.

"What do you think of James Potter? He's kind of the cutie! Don't you think?" she giggled. Maybe I could tell Tess. I guess she wasn't too much of a blabbermouth. After all, whom was she going to tell? The rest of the Gryffindor's… Ha-ha. I'm too funny.

"I guess he's good looking" I remarked. Not giving away too much or too little. Good job to me! We sat down in History of Magic and I was dying after two minutes of that bloody class. That class was horrible.

…

The day droned on and on, Transfiguration was easy. I seemed to be catching up well. Headmistress McGonagall taught Transfiguration. Slughorn loved me. It seemed that I was okay at Potions. Professor Potter taught Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was quite funny seeing James' father at school. He was an amazing teacher though and I had already learned so much. Binns, didn't really notice me, Flitwick, loved me, Sprout, I don't really know. Hagrid didn't notice. That class was slightly scary although the unicorns were interesting. By the time dinner came around I was starving and exhausted. Dinner was a wonderful array of turkey, mashed potatoes and steaming gravy. Turkey makes everyone tired. I didn't have the time for James, Rose or Tess so I went off to my dorm. Bidding Mabel a good night I changed into sweats and flopped onto my bed. There was a chill running through the dorm. It was a little early for that. September isn't supposed to be cold. Too tired to think my head hit the pillow. That night I dreamt of someone I had never dreamt of before.

My father.

**A/N: I know that might be a little filler but I wanted to get some of Athena's school life in. I'm going to be skipping a few months in the next chapter. Also you might be wondering why she is in 3****rd**** year and it's her first year. Basically her age makes her go into third year but she's never been to Hogwarts. It's all part of the plot! Reviews and story alerts make my day! **


	6. WHAT?

_Dear Mum,_

_I hope you are doing well. I am so sorry that I haven't had time to write in the past two months. I know you are probably feeling hurt but I'm sorry! School has been taking up so much time. James and I have not been talking as much. Tess and I are close again. She can't stop talking about James. I swear she loves him. Also, is there anyway I could pry some information during the holidays? Christmas is coming up! December has brought freezing weather and there was a ton of snow the other day. I stayed in bed almost all day. We didn't have classes because it was Saturday! James is on the Quidditch team too. I really want to be on the team. Maybe next year... I've become really good! I want to be a Chaser; I think I have the right build. Can't wait to see you!_

_Love,_

_Athena_

I was walking up to the owlry when I saw a slip of paper on the ground. It read the following:

_Rose, _

_R.o.R. 10pm_

_-S_

Puzzled, I put the paper into my pocket. What the heck was the R.o.R.? Sometimes being a new kid isn't very fun. Slipping and sliding up the stairs I cursed to myself. As I rounded the bend whom did I see together? James and Tess… SNOGGING! I instantly jumped behind the wall. It felt like someone had just slapped me across the face. I don't even understand why it felt so bad. Of course Tess like James and I knew that, but James liking Tess? This was brand new. Deciding that hiding wasn't going to help me find Star, I came out of my hiding spot.

"Hello you two, having fun I see?" I said coolly. Tess tossed her hair over her shoulder and started to blush, making her cheeks even rosier than they were.

"Fancy seeing you here Athena" mumbled James. I ignored him and turned to Tess.

So when did this happen? Just now? Have you been keeping this a secret from me?" I press. Tess looked like she about to upchuck. Great. My two best friends have been snogging for god knows how long.

"Um, well I would say about a month… since November" Tess murmured.

"That's enough information," I snapped at her. Pissed of and confused I pushed past them to find Star sitting in the corner. I threw the letter at her. "TO MOM!" I shouted. I started to make my way down the icy steps, well as fast as I could without dying.

"Athena wait…" James and Tess called to me.

"What? Do you want to lie to me again? Or are you going to tell me how sorry you are and then go back to snogging each other? Both of you! I thought you were better than this. I thought we were friends," I said coldly.

"What do you want me to do now? I like him! He likes _me_" she put the emphasis on herself. It pissed me off so much.

"Bugger off Tess." I sneered.

"I'm sorry" James said. I looked at him with the meanest glare I could muster.

"You, get away from me. You are not better than her." I bellowed before storming off. Running to the Black Lake I sat down in the snow and cried. First this strange note addressed to one of my close friends and then my two _best_ friends snogging! It was all too much.

"Athena, are you okay?" a voice I didn't recognize called out from behind me.

I turned around.

**A/N: that was crazy intense. How did you like it? What do you think of Tess and James? Everything happens for certain reasons… just remember that! A little cliffy for you. Reviews and story alerts make my world!**


	7. The Boy With Green Eyes

"_Athena are you okay?" A voice I didn't recognize called out to me. _

_I turned around…_

I turned around to face a pair of green eyes. I had no idea who this guy was or how he knew me. Maybe he was just passing by the lake.

"Hi, my name is Riley Thomas" he informed me. "Are you okay? I saw you running away from the owlry crying." I was slightly shocked that a person actually noticed. I did not expect anyone to follow me either. I didn't really know what to say. I did know that my ass was freezing because my pants were soaked through.

"Um, y-yeah I'm f-fine" I chattered.

"Lets get you to the hospital wing, you are going to catch hypothermia" Riley puts his arm around me and we walk to the hospital wing. I was turning blue by the time we got there and the second we walked in Madame Fincher started completely freaking out. Like I was dying or something, although I guess she always does that.

"Ms. Maxwell! You have caught hypothermia! Get changed into these clothes" she shoved some warm dry clothes at me "and get back here the second you do." It was nice to put on warm clothes. I hobbled out of the changing area and was ushered into a bed. My hands had changed from blue to purple and I felt weak and tired. My friends were all keeping secrets from me. I hoped that Madame Fincher didn't do anything with my clothes because I had the note in my pocket. I glanced at Riley to see he was staring at me intently. I had just met this kid and he was here and caring about me.

"You don't have to stay here," I breathed.

"I know… but I want to" Riley gave me the most intense stare ever. Administering me a sleep draught, I felt asleep wondering how a boy like Riley could even know my name.

_+Riley's Point of View+_

"Mr. Thomas, can you please tell me what happened?" Madame Fincher inquired. I didn't want to tell her I didn't know _anything_. I mean I do know something. I don't why she was crying. Maybe it was James. "Mr. Thomas?" Madame Fincher asked again.

"Well I don't know exactly what happened. I do know she ran out of the owlery and was sitting by the Black Lake when I found her. As soon as I saw her running I knew something was up. She was soaked too, pants and shirt."

"Thank you Mr. Thomas" I was dismissed. I knew Athena. I had been admiring her from afar. I think she is one of the prettiest girls at Hogwarts. Athena had no clue that I existed. I did wonder what happened out there. Not wanting to wake her up, I gently let go of her hand and slipped out of the hospital wing. As I was walking towards the Ravenclaw tower I saw Tess and James holding hands together. That was odd. I didn't know that James liked Tess. It was quite obvious that Tess like James cause I had overheard her talking to Athena about am million times.

"Hey James, can I talk to you for a second mate?" I called out to him. Obviously startled he let go of Tess and walked over.

"Uh, hey Riley. What's going on?" he looked at me. I wasn't expecting such a hostile reaction. Maybe he did have something to do with Athena.

"I was wondering if you had seen Athena earlier today. She was crying when I found by the Black Lake. She caught hypothermia and is now in the hospital wing. I know you guys are best mates so I thought you might want to know." We continued to walk as I explain this to him.

"Oh no. This is all going wrong! I better go see her…thanks for letting me know Thomas. I appreciate it" James spluttered. "This is all my fault," he muttered under his breath. Probably I wasn't supposed to hear that but I did. Damn it, if James hurt Athena then that boy would be in for some trouble…

0_-_Athena-_0_

My eyes fluttered open and I looked around. It had gotten significantly darker out and the snow had begun to fall again. There was someone standing in the darkness. Not in the mood to deal with another mystery I just called out.

"Hello? Damn it who is there?" my annoyed voice run out through the vacant hospital wing.

"Athena? Oh, you're awake!" the delighted whisper of none other than that git James Potter.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" my head was throbbing. He had the nerve to come back in here after what happened? He must have been delusional.

"Athena, I-I just wanted to apologize. I should never have let Tess kiss me. I don't know how I feel about her. I guess- I got a little bit full of myself. Please forgive me!" He pleaded.

"Goddamn it James, you must be daft. I'm not going to forgive you just like that. What you and Tess did…it wasn't the snogging. It was the secret. The fact that you didn't tell me is just too upsetting. I thought we were closer than that. Keeping secrets about our relationships? That's low. Just leave me to sleep okay? I can't talk to you right now." I knew James would be hurt after all that. I didn't give a crap right now. Turning over I heard James leave. Not wanting to think about those words I said, I let my mind drift into a quiet slumber. I awoke 2 hours later and walked out of the hospital wing, sick of being cooped up in there. It was 5:32 in the morning. Grabbing a quill and parchment on my wait out, I sat right behind the giant steel clock and wrote to mum.

_Dear Mum,_

_I can't wait to come home for the winter holidays. I have also managed to catch hypothermia. Probably you got an owl from Madame Fincher, but I am fine now. I'm sorry to be sending this to you so early in the morning. I just couldn't sleep. I met this boy yesterday. His name is Riley Thomas. He's so sweet! I am coming home in a few days so I'll tell you more about him. Yesterday when I caught hypothermia, I found James and Tess snogging up in the owlery. They have been together since early November and didn't tell me! I was so mad so I went to the Black Lake and Riley found me there. Anyway, see you in a few days!_

_Love,_

_Athena_

Star had found me sitting there. I wasn't really sure how she got into the castle. I actually stayed there for a few minutes stroking her. I had been thinking about the holidays. I wished I could have spent it with James or Tess but now I didn't want to. Everything is going downhill. Why does like have to be so hard sometimes? Remember that tomorrow was our trip to Hogsmeade, I scribbled on my hand **get gift for mum.** Letting Star go with my letter, I slipped back into the hospital wing. Padding over to my bed I fell into an uncomfortable sleep filled lies and letters.

**A/N: I hope this chapter was satisfactory. I have introduced yet another O.C. Riley Thomas. I need some feedback on him. He's a key part of this particular story! How do you feel about Athena being mad at James? Reviews and story alerts mean a lot! **


	8. Forgiveness doesn't always come easily

Waking up in the hospital wing is not one of the top things on my to-do list in life, but it happened.

"Ms. Maxwell, the trip to Hogsmeade is going to leave in fifteen minutes. If you wish to attend then you need to hurry up and get dressed" Madame Fincher informed me. Running out of the hospital wing I sprinted to my dorm.

"Pickled pears" I recited to the fat lady in hopes that she hadn't changed the password. Thankfully I got in, bumped into Mabel, got dressed and made it to Ravenclaw tower in time to meet Riley. Hogsmeade was a great place to go. I loved it. Riley took my hand as we walked down to Zonko's. I loved that shop, particularly because James loved it. I couldn't stop thinking about how cruel I was. The snow crunched underneath my boots and I saw my breath in the air.

"How're you feeling today?" he asked me. Smiling to indicate I was fine, I saw James walking into Zonko's.

"Hey, why don't we go get something for my mum" I burst out. Riley's eyes lit up like wildfire.

"Of course," he sounded delighted "what does your mum like? Knowing mum's I think we should get her something like a mug and some gummies" he exclaimed.

"It's like you already know her!" I agreed with him. I purchased a little blue mug with pink and white spots on it. I also got her a pair of fuzzy socks and mittens. I knew that cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs were our favorites (both mum and I loved them) so I bought a ton of those. When Riley and I separated at Honeydukes, I decided to get him something. Spotting some Pumpkin Pasties and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans I bought two packets of each. We decide to meet back up at some teashop I can't remember the name of. I ordered a warm Butterbeer and sat down at a small table for two people. Entering the sop was none other than James and Tess. The two people I wanted to see least. James spotted me and smiled weakly. Tess just looked at me and then kept on talking to James. Five minutes later Riley walked in.

"May I join you?" he joked. Laughing he sat down and ordered a Butterbeer.

"I got you something," I said quietly. Riley looked up surprised and told me he got me something too. I handed him the Pasties and Jelly Beans.

"Thank you so much! I love these! They are actually my favourite!" Grinning from ear to ear he gave me a hug.

"I got you this…" he handed me a pair of purple gloves and some cauldron cakes. I grinned.

"Thank you so much, it's wonderful and I love them!" I said enthusiastically. The same thought of inviting him over for Christmas kept replaying in my head. "Hey Riley? Well I was thinking; would you like to erm... come over for Christmas?" nodding his head yes I grinned. SCORE!

**Kings Cross Station:**

"Athena!" my mum called out to me. I ran over to her with Riley following close behind me. I hadn't seen her for so long. Unfortunately I didn't tell her about Riley, so she looked at him curiously. Mum, this is Riley. He's going to spending Christmas with us if that's okay!" I looked at my mum with pleading eyes. Obviously she got the picture.

"Of course, lets go home." Sending our stuff home, we each grabbed an arm. Right before we disapparated I saw James. His eyes bore a look of sadness and hatred. I smirked. _CRACK_ the feeling of being sucked through a tight spaced entered my mind; all thoughts of James were gone. A second later I was standing in front of my home in Godric's Hollow. Smiling at Riley, I followed my mum inside. The smell of Christmas greeted me warmly. Glad to be back home I smiled to myself and thought about how great the next two weeks would be.

**A/N: I was waiting to write Athena's little gift exchange with Riley. This was all a little fluff. Also, I thought it'd be nice for Riley to spend Christmas with Athena. There will be an exchange between Athena and someone unexpected. Sorry for the short chapter, I had to get it out of the way. Reviews and story alerts make my day! **


	9. Just Like a Lovesick Puppy

I ran out of the common room down to Harry's office. He would know everything about this school, after all he did fight in the war and I heard that he was caught sneaking around the school with Hermione and Ron Weasley loads of times, so I knew he was the right person. James would kill me if he knew I was talking to Harry, but what the heck. Arriving at the door, I knocked twice to find that it was opened two seconds later.

"Hello Athena. What can I do for you? I hope you realize that it is after curfew," Harry said rather warmly.

"I know Ha- Professor Potter, but I needed to ask you something important. Well actually a few things," the words spilled out of my mouth. Harry looked at me rather curiously which to be honest made me really nervous. I was sure that he would give me a detention and send me back to the Gryffindor tower.

"Ask away! It is late and I wouldn't want you tired for tomorrow," Harry's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Well, you see I saw something that said R.o.R. on it and apparently this room is on the 7th floor. I really need to know what it is," I pleaded. Harry frowned.

"Athena, that is a room called the Room of Requirement. It usually appears when someone needs to get away from something or needs to escape. It caters to your needs. As my friends once said 'if you needed to use the loo it would fill with a bunch of toilets' that is exactly what would happen," Harry explains to me. I finally understood. Rose was going there and to what seemed quite often, but why? What was so great about the Room of Requirement? I had one more question for Harry, but it wasn't about the R.o.R.

"How did you know I was coming? You opened the door unnaturally quick," I questioned. A guilty look spread across his face.

"I had a feeling, that is all. Now please return to bed, I will write you a pass in case Filch catches you" Harry said sternly. I wondered what was so bad that he wouldn't tell me. I didn't want to be on his bad side so I exited and ran back to the common room and up the stairs. Slipping into my bed I fell into a fitful sleep dreaming about toilettes and a strange room.

…

Walking into D.A.D.A. I took my seat next to James. He absolutely loves the fact that his dad teaches Defense.

"Today, we will be working with boggarts" Harry proclaimed, producing a large armoire that started shaking. I jumped back in fright.

"Now, the spell used to repel a boggart is _Riddikulus._ Now repeat after me _Riddikulus"_ Harry said.

"Riddikulus" we echoed. Harry ordered us to form a line and somehow I ended up third in the line, right behind James. Harry looked at James curiously and I knew he was wondering what James' boggart was.

"Now say the spell while thinking of a funny object" we were instructed. James was up, the boggart swirled until his family appeared. Suddenly green jets of light shone and they started to drop dead. Horrified, James whispered the spell.

"_RIDDIKULUS!" _Hefinally screamed.It was slightly surprising to see James like that. Harry looked at his son worriedly, as James seemed to have gone off into oblivion. I looked at the thing swirling around. It seemed like ages before it landed on something. It was a man, without a nose and hair. He seemed almost snakelike "Hello Athena, ready to die?" he said. I realized who this was, the man from my dreams. I couldn't stand it; I needed to make him leave. The man walked towards me and every child walked back. Harry turned around and fear flashed in his eyes. Sliding in front of me it turned into a balloon and whizzed around the classroom until it landed in the cabinet once again.

"Class dismissed" Harry said hoarsely. "Athena, please stay for a moment. I would like to have a word with you" Harry told me.

After everyone left Harry questioned me. "Do you know who that person was?" his tone was forceful. To be honest I didn't know, I just knew that he was bad and appeared in my dreams quite honestly.

"I-I don't know who he is. He is in my dreams sometimes, and scares me to be honest" I told Harry. My voice was barely audible at the end. Nodding Harry dismissed me and told me not to talk about this incident. I was also told that if I saw James, to tell him to report to Harry. Of course! I trudged on to finish the rest of the day, hoping that this whole boggart incident hadn't spread.

…

Friday night brought an interesting turn of events. I decided to confront Rose about her whole sneaking out thing.

"Rose, can I talk to you a moment" I asked her. Whipping around she looked at me nervously.

"Yeah sure! What's up?" she asked.

"Well, you see. I kind of noticed that you left the common room a few nights ago, and I saw you last night" I twirled my brown hair in my hands and Rose opened her mouth to say something "don't deny it Rose, I saw you," I cut her off.

"You didn't see anything Athena. I wasn't out!" her lips moved quickly.

"Rose, I know you were out. Who were you going to see and why are you going to the Room of Requirement every night?" I pressed. She faltered.

"You wouldn't understand, ok?" she hissed.

Turning on her heel, Rose Weasley walked away from me… without giving me an answer. I felt the need to run after her until Albus appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't," his voice was deathly quiet.

"Albus what is going on?" the words flew out of my mouth. Instantly I regretted it. Albus' eyes darkened.

"If I told you, I would lose Rose as a friend more than I already have. So leave it alone will you?" he growled. Anger spread through my body like a wildfire. Why wouldn't anybody tell me what was going on? I didn't understand. My best friends were keeping a secret from me. Turning around I raced back to the common room to find someone, anybody who would comfort me.

…

_Riley's Point of View_

I watched Athena run into the castle. I knew James had done something to her now. That git, I really didn't like him. I just needed to catch him alone and punish him for hurting Athena. He didn't know when to stop, really didn't. Different thoughts with ways that I could hurt James ran through my mind. I could sectumsempra him. Or even Crucio, maybe I could hex him into next week. Probably Athena would kill me, but she didn't have to know. Even though I really like her she could get so annoying sometimes. I trudged back to the Ravenclaw common room, and hoped that nobody would notice him. I just had to get Potter alone…

…

_Athena's Point of View_

There was a Hogsmeade trip coming up and I was feeling like utter and complete crap. First of all, I had failed my Ancient Runes test, second of all I had hurt my arm in Quidditch practice and lastly, Riley had become so infuriating to me. Everywhere I went he seemed to appear. It was like he was watching me, and to be honest that creeps me out. A lot.

I was peacefully wandering through the hallway on my way to Divination when I heard Riley's voice calling my name.

"ATHENA! ATHENA!" he called.

"What is it?" I spun around.

His face-hardened, "I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?" he questioned.

"Yeah, sure whatever," I walked away feeling worse than before. Something about him just bothered me. It was like having a dog nip at your heels while walking. I arrived at Divination and sat down between Tess and Rose.

"Hey," Tess whispered.

"I need to talk to you…" I whispered back. And so we continued our journey through the stupidity of Divination in silence. Well until we got back to our dorm later that night.

…

I sat down on my bed cross-legged with Tess lounging across from me. Only then did I start my long rant about Riley, and going to Hosmeade tomorrow.

"Oh my gosh Tess, you don't understand how much Riley is bothering me right now. He's following me everywhere!" I whispered and Tess smirked.

"Well, he does follow you around _everywhere_. It's like he's a lovesick puppy," She exclaimed. That made me feel 100 times better… thanks Tess!

"Well, I don't know what to do, he asked me to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow with him. I'll just do it and then see how it goes. Also, is my whole Boggart incident spreading around? Please don't talk about it. It was so embarrassing," I pleaded.

"Don't worry Athena, I won't; although you really should talk to a teacher about it. Maybe Harry could clarify things? I don't know, it's just my suggestion," she remarked. Sighing deeply I sat there for a while and thought about my life and if it could get any worse than it was now.

**A/N:** **Long chapter yay! I hope you enjoyed it. I know that I skipped a lot of time in-between certain parts but it had to be done otherwise the chapter would be just so insanely long. Thank you so much for strukkfirst, yellowbutterflys and au revoir sim1 for reviewing. I will also be updating my other story soon. Please review; I need some input on this story! I am going to write my Hogsmeade chapter tomorrow. Oh be sure to check out my new story In and Out of their minds. It is a collection of one-shots from different characters points of view. Hopefully I can update tomorrow or Tuesday. Until next time :)**


	10. Sympathy For The Questionable One

Riley and I walked down the snowy trail to Hogsmeade. His hand was around my waist with James and Tess walking next to us. Riley was glaring at James and I didn't exactly know why. It seemed that Riley had something against James.

"Do you want to go to Honeydukes?" Riley asked me. I nodded and motioned for James and Tess to come with us. "Alone" Riley said pointedly. I sighed; this child was hard to please.

"I'll see you later" I whispered to James as Riley steered me away and towards Honeydukes. "What was that about… why do you want to go alone?" I questioned. Riley turned towards me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. I smiled and gave him a huge hug, realizing how I much I missed spending time with him. I gestured to the amount of candy that was sprawled out around us. We separated and I grabbed a variety of candy in my hands. We met up at the register and talked about going to The Three Broomsticks. As I was walking, I saw James and Tess kissing outside Zonko's. It made my blood boil, and I quickened my pace.

"Athena, what's wrong?" Riley called after me. I glanced over to James and Tess and his eyes followed.

"Nothing, lets just walk," I growled. When we arrived at The Three Broomsticks it was so crowded that we just decided to leave. "Well, I'm going to find Tess. I'll see you later" I called after Riley. I turned around and walked towards Honeydukes to look for Tess.

….

_Riley's Point of View_

I walked away from Athena. I knew that she was looking at James and Tess when she got upset. It was so obvious. I knew that James had done something to her. I was sick and tired of the Potters. They thought they were so cool because their dad was the famous _Harry Potter_. I spotted James walking towards the shrieking shack and pulled him aside. He instantly grabbed his wand and I pointed mine right back at him.

"Expelliarmus" I muttered and his wand flew out of his hand. "Well, James Potter look at you. Undefended and oh; where's your girlfriend? Looks like you're all alone so it's safe to do this" I flicked my wand and muttered _immobulus. _"Potter, if you say one word about this to anybody then we will have serious problems. Especially to Athena," I spat. I raised my fist and punched him in the face, leaving him bleeding and immobile in the snow. "Oh and Potter, it'll be about 15 minutes until you can actually move again. So have fun freezing your ass of in the snow!" I laughed. Running back towards the castle I felt complete. I finally gave Potter what he deserved.

….

_Athena's Point of View_

I left Tess to go back to the castle when I saw something down by the path to the shrieking shack. I ran over to investigate. The cold whipped my face as I hurried down the path. There were red spots on the ground that I assumed was blood, but whose blood? Quickening my pace I rushed over to an unmoving figure lying in the snow. Turning the person over I saw the disheveled face of James Sirius Potter staring back at me.

"James, who? What- what happened?" I stuttered.

"I. Can't. Move." He mumbled.

"Finite Incantatum" I spoke, hoping to reverse whatever spell was put on James. Grumbling something he brushed the snow off and wiped the blood on his crooked nose.

"Nodhing happened, I bell dats all," he coughed. I sighed, knowing that this wasn't the case. Having a broken nose didn't happen from falling. Grabbing James' arm I walked back to the castle with him. As we climbed the winding staircase James turned to me. "Donb't tell anbody bat habened oday?" Whirling around James sprinted away from me and disappeared with a bang. Hot tears formed in my eyes, nobody would tell me what was going on. Rose was acting strange, and James too. I wanted to punch someone or even something. Running to the nearest corridor the tears flowed freely from my eyes. Hogwarts was supposed to be a good experience, not a crappy hell where all my friends were mean to me. Plopping myself down on the floor of the corridor I felt a chill to my bone. Suddenly, someone popped out in front of me.

"Athena, Athena Maxwell? That's your name right?" the voice said. I recognized this voice from somewhere, but I couldn't place it.

"My name is Scorpius Malfoy are you okay? I think we met once before on the first day… on the train" his voice was soft. _Malfoy!_ I knew the name anywhere and remembered the day we met.

"Y-yeah I'm f-fine" I hiccupped. Sitting down beside me on the cold floor, he looked at me for a long time.

"You are obviously not okay, you can talk to me. I don't exactly have many people to tell," he soothed. I sighed and wiped the tears from my eyes. My fingers were numb with cold and the sky was darkening; I wondered why someone like Scorpius would want to associate with me, I wasn't even his friend!

"Oh Scorpius don't say that. You do have friends! I see you hanging with Albus all the time" I argued. He looked at me and sighed, I wondered if he really didn't have that many people to go to.

"It's not like that Athena. It doesn't matter anyway, what matters is why you're crying" he pushed the subject off of him. I stared straight ahead, counting the cracks on the wall trying to decide whether I should talk to him or not.

"I'm just confused and upset, that's all. My friends don't tell me anything anymore. I feel so lonely, yes I know I have a boyfriend and other friends but I still feel alone. Nobody understands what I'm going through! Did you know, that I have no idea who my dad is?" I paused to catch my breath. Chuckling slightly I took my hands and put them to my mouth trying to warm them up.

"Wow Athena, I didn't know that. It must be hard then? I know I would be wondering who my dad is every single day of my life. To be honest, I really don't think I know what you are going through," Scorpius replied. I cocked my head to one side trying to understand the boy "I hate it when people say they understand when they really don't. It makes me want to punch something!" he finished. Taking his gloves off, he handed them to me. I happily accepted the warmth against my numb fingers.

"Scorpius thanks for talking to me. I just, I don't know what to do. I ask my mum about him, and she doesn't tell me a thing. It's always the "when you are older" crap." It was so easy to open up to Scorpius that for the next ten minutes we discussed ways that I could get my mum to tell me about my dad. We arrived at the verdict when the sky was dark and it was 10 minutes before curfew. "Thank you again. I really needed someone to talk to, I seriously appreciate it Scorpius! I will definitely just keep asking my mum and really show her that I am mature enough to handle whoever he may be," I said standing up.

"No problem Athena. I'll see you around sometime, maybe we can even talk again. If you ever need me you can find me in the Slytherin dorm… or not. Just ask someone to get me. I promise none of them will hurt you," he chuckled.

I never did.

…..

A week had passed, my friends tried over and over again to console me. The only person who had managed to corner me and talk to me (which by the way was a _very_ short conversation) was James. I was walking down to Charms when James found me and asked to talk to me.

"Athena, please! I don't understand! Did I do something wrong?" he huffed. My laugh rang through the hallway.

"Wrong? Are you seriously daft? Can't you see that I'm going through a tough time and you ask if _YOU_ have done anything wrong? Why don't you just ask me what is wrong? Then we can get somewhere!" I was fuming. Turning on my heel I stalked into Charms trying to ignore James' eyes boring a hole into my back the entire class. He didn't try to talk to me again that day, but I could feel him looking at me every class I was in. The only person I would actually talk to was Riley. I didn't see Scorpius around anywhere, and I was hoping maybe to see him again, I would never ask a Slytherin to get him it was just too nerve-racking. I felt like a useless lump just moping around.

"Athena, can we talk?" Riley spoke, interrupting my thoughts.

"What's up?" was my reply before he dragged me into a less crowded part of the corridor.

"You've seemed kind of well… distant lately. I was wondering if something was the matter? I've noticed you haven't been talking to Tess, James, Rose and Albus lately. Can you please tell me what is going on?" he begged. I sighed; did Riley really need to know what was going on? I lied. It was the worst thing ever and it hurt.

"I'm fine, I'm just upset that Rose wouldn't tell me something," I responded through gritted teeth.

"Well, whatever it is I really think you should talk to them again, I know for a fact they have been missing you" he informed before walking away. My fists were clenched at my sides. I knew that I needed to make up with them, but I felt as though I were giving in to the sympathy that they gave me; but I didn't want it. An idea sparked in my mind; I was going to write my mum and demand some answers. Running back to the common room I sat down and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

_Dear Mum,_

_I am writing this letter because I am very frustrated right now. My friends are giving me sympathy for something that I don't want sympathy for. You know what that is? NOT KNOWING WHOM MY FATHER IS. Why won't you tell me? I don't understand what the big deal is? Do you not think that I am mature enough to handle the truth? By the way, the other day we were learning about boggarts in class. I presume that Harry told you what my boggart is? Well, maybe __you__ can give me some answers… or is that too much to ask? _

_Love,_

_Athena _

I rolled the letter up in my hands not bothering to put it in an envelope. My robes billowed behind me as I sprinted up to the owlery. Pushing the letter at Star, she knew exactly where to take it. I checked my watch, only to find that I had 2 minutes until class. Rushing back to the common room I grabbed my stuff and headed into History of Magic ready to bore myself to sleep once again.

I was sitting in the common room when James walked in with a letter in his hands.

"Athena, this is for you. Star came in with it a few minutes after you left," he said softly. Gingerly taking the letter from him I tore the envelope off.

_**Athena,**_

_**You want answers so badly? You think you are ready? Fine. Have it your way. Go. To. Harry. **_

_**Love,**_

_**Mum **_

"Athena I-"

"Sorry James, I can't talk now. I've gotta go" I interrupted. Pushing out of the common room, I charged through the corridors down to Harry's office. Kicking the door opened I walked in on a rather nervous looking Harry.

"Hello Professor Potter. I need some answers."

**A/N: I know, I know, shame on me for not updating sooner. I made this chapter longer to compensate for the lack of updates. I hope it is satisfying, please, please, please review. I need some honest feedback! Thank you to au revoir sim1, yellowbutterflys and strukkfirst for reviewing! It makes my day. Once again, sorry for not updating and I hope you like this chapter! Until next time :)**


	11. Apologies Are Not Always Easy

"_Hello Professor Potter. I need some answers." _

….

"Hello Ms. Maxwell. How may I help you?" Harry asked me. I narrowed my eyes. He was playing dumb, and I knew it.

"Professor, my _mother_ told me to come to you because I was asking questions. Now, how could you possibly know _anything_ and not have said something?" I accused. I knew that I must have sounded like a brat but I didn't care because I wanted some information.

"Ms. Maxwell, I think it would be best if you sat down" he told me. Seating myself on the chair behind me I saw Harry draw in a deep breath. "Well, I assume I am correct when I say you remember the incident with the boggart-" I nodded, "well there was something that you didn't see, and I'm not sure that anybody else did" he paused. I was confused; I remembered every single detail of that day. What couldn't I have seen? Noticing the look on my face, Harry continued. "There was someone standing behind Voldemort. It was a man, a man who supported Voldemort entirely. It is not in my place to tell you the name of this man; I will leave that to your mother. I can tell you though, that he was not a good person. He tried to kill me when I was in my fourth year, and imprisoned one of the best men I knew," he explained. I was shocked. How could someone so horrible have met my mum? The second thought that crossed my mind was how could my mother have been in love with this person, had a child with him? More specifically _ME!_ I slumped over like a rag doll, feeling crushed beyond belief.

"Oh, well. Thank you for telling that and no. I didn't ever notice anybody else standing there when we were in class," I said awkwardly. I felt horrible now, for the way I had treated my mum and Harry. I turned around to leave but stopped short. "Professor, I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you that way. I guess I am just a little bit frustrated right now," I said hoping that accounted for my actions.

"Ah, Ms. Maxwell it is fine. My last suggestion to you is to write your mum and apologize," he smiled and turned around disappearing through a door that led to his room. As I was walking back to the castle, my exhaustion kicked in and I was barely awake when I reached the portrait of the fat lady.

"Mimbulous Mutosa" I muttered before the portrait swung open to reveal a rather sleepy eyed James. Ignoring him I ran up the stairs into my dorm and fell into bed not wanting to think about the nights events.

…

"Athena, Athena wake up. We are going to miss breakfast! Please get out of bed!" I heard Tess' voice penetrating through my hazy mind.

"Sod off Tess, I'll meet you down there!" I heard myself saying. Clearly, I am not a morning person.

"Well, suit yourself. Its 7:15 already so don't blame me if you're late!" She laughed. I looked at the clock, which now read 7:18. Realizing that I had class to go to, I jumped out of bed and in the span of 5 minutes took a shower, got dressed and grabbed my stuff for the first of class of the day, which just so happened to be Potions. Oh joy! Walking into the Great Hall I felt a few pairs of eyes staring at me. Walking confidently over to the Gryffindor table I sat myself between Tess and James. For some reason, my anger towards James had subsided, but I was still mad at Rose and Albus because they wouldn't tell me anything.

"Athena, will you sit with me in Potions?" James asked quietly.

"Sure" I chuckled, not clear as to why he wouldn't be sitting with one of the boys. The rest of breakfast was eaten mostly in silence with the occasional "pass the" being asked. When James and I arrived at Potions, nobody was really there. I decided to take advantage of this time to apologize.

"James look – I'm really sorry about the past couple of weeks. I've just been going through a rough time and I've had nobody to talk to," I confessed. James looked at me and sometimes I forgot that he was a year older than me.

"It's fine Athena, just please don't let it happen again. I've been meaning to ask you what was wrong. I just didn't know how because I thought you would murder me alive if I tried talking to you again" he joked. Smiling, I gave him a hug and proceeded to sit down and make a perfect potion. The invisible weight on my shoulders had lightened a little, and it was the first time I felt truly happy in days.

…

About a week and a half later, I found myself face to face with Rose Weasley. I was not feeling happy at all. In fact, I was feeling betrayed and annoyed with her.

"Rose, why won't you tell me what is going on? I thought we were better friends than that!" I chided.

"I know, but you- you would judge me if I told you. Probably you would never want to talk to me!" she whispered. We were alone in the common room right before dinner.

"Rose it's okay, I won't judge you. I promise you I know what it feels like to be judged. To be honest it feels like crap, so I try not to judge people," I told her.

"I-I just can't. I'm sorry Athena!" She whimpered and then ran off, probably to the Great Hall for dinner. I just wasn't hungry, so I grabbed my cloak and decided that maybe an evening stroll would be satisfactory. As I exited the building, I felt the January air strike my face, colder than ever. I kicked angrily at the snow on the ground.

"Ms. Maxwell, are you okay?" the voice of Harry drifted into my ear. Whirling around to face him, I saw the concerned look on his face.

"No, I'm not okay" the words fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself. "I feel betrayed and confused. Professor! How can you not understand?" I hinted at the fact that he lost both of his parents.

"Believe me Athena, I do" he murmured quietly and turned away.

"Have you written your mother yet?" He questioned. I shook my head guiltily. "Well then, I suggest you do that right now. She has been writing me and is worried about you. Now go!" he waved his hand and I ran back inside.

_Dear Mum,_

_First I need to say that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have written to you that way and it wasn't right of me. I am doing fine, please don't worry! I'm just feeling frustrated that is all. I have decided that it is okay for you to tell me whenever you feel comfortable… but please don't make it too far from now. It means a great deal to me, knowing whom my father is. I made up with James too, but Rose still won't tell me what is going on. Again, I'm so sorry._

_I love you,_

_Athena_

I hoped that this letter was satisfactory to my mother and sent it off into the night. I wondered what her reaction would be, probably relieved but then again I did ask her to tell me. Sinking down in front of the fireplace in the common room, I thought about him. Who could he be? No matter how hard I tried to remember, I couldn't remember any other man standing in that room besides Voldemort. I wasn't even sure if I was ready to know who he was. Even the fact that he supported Voldemort scared me. I really didn't know what to expect. I heard the common room door swing open.

"Hey" I heard the voice of James say. I felt him slide down next to me, and wrap his arm around my shoulder. "Hi," I whispered back.

"You kay?" he stared at me. Twirling my hair I gazed into the fire. The flames seemed to be mocking me, telling me I wasn't good enough to be anybody's daughter.

"Yeah, I'm good –"

"No you're not!" he argued. "Why can't you tell me the truth?" James asked me. I looked at him. That was the same question I asked Rose. I was being just like her, not telling the truth for my own selfish reasons. I thought he would judge me. Something broke inside of me.

"James. I don't… I don't know who my dad is. That's why I have been acting so horrible lately. I have no freaking clue and my mum won't tell me much. You know, your dad did tell me something… but it wasn't of much use to me," I faltered. James was staring at me. It reminded me a lot of the first day we met, when he was staring at me on the train.

"Oh Athena, I'm so sorry. If I had known…" he trailed off. There are those moments, when you feel like you want to kiss someone. The thought cut through me so badly. It was torturous! I wanted to kiss James Potter right then and there, but I couldn't. I have a boyfriend, Riley and he has a girlfriend Tess. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

"Athena?" James jerked me out of my thoughts.

"Wha-oh um, thanks. It's not your fault don't worry about it" I reassured him. He smiled at me and I rested my head on his shoulder, wanting to savor the moment that I knew wouldn't last long.

**A/N: OMG! I had fun writing that last little scene, I was contemplating the kiss but that will have to wait. Mwahahaha! You've got some information about her dad now, so it is NOT Voldemort and it is NOT Harry so who is it? You will just have to wait and see. Thank you so much to **_**au revoir sim1, yellowbutterflys and Mrs. Theodore Nott**_** for reviewing, it makes my day! I will hopefully be updating soon. Please review! Until next time :)**


	12. Liar Lair

_ I was walking in Godric's Hollow the snow falling on the ground like it did every year. "Athena" I hear my name being whispered. I look behind me; there is nobody there. The voice gets closer to my ear with every step. "Athena, Athena, Athena. Turn around" the voice, taunts me. I break into a run turning the corner my foot slips and I fall. I feel cold hands on my throat and I gasp for air. "Goodbye sweetheart" the voice laughs. _

I startled awake. _It was just a dream, it was just a dream _I kept telling myself as I stumbled towards the bathroom. It was 3:00 am on a Friday morning in late February. I tried to turn the sink on but my hands shook so much that I couldn't get a steady grip. Wiping my face on a towel and ran down to the common room. Sitting down on the couch, I drew my knees to my chest and watched the almost nonexistent flames in the fireplace flicker around. I couldn't get the feeling of the person's hands around my neck, cold fingers squeezing the life out of me. My blood ran cold as I heard a creak come from the boys' dormitories.

"Athena?" I heard James' voice call out.

"James? Is that you? What are you doing up so early?" I whispered to him.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied bluntly.

"What is wrong? Are you okay? Why do you look like you just ran a marathon? Also, why are _you_ up this early?" I wasn't prepared to answer James' barrage of questions. Hugging my knees even closer, I closed my eyes tightly. I felt James slide his arm over my shoulder and he pulled me close. I could feel the heat emanating from his body and even in the chill of the common room I felt warmer.

"Athena, please tell me what's wrong" he whispered.

"I-I had a horrible, horrible dream James-" I drew in a shaky breath. "I had a dream that my father was chasing me around Godric's Hollow. I couldn't see his face though. It was all blurred and then I tripped. After…After I tripped he-" I gulped "he put his hands around my throat and started joking me. Then I woke up." I told him, the tears were streaming down my face and my knuckles were white from clenching my fists.

"Athena, look at me." James insisted. "Look at me Athena. Please!" he grabbed my hands. "I can promise you, that it was just a bad dream. Everything is okay, I promise." Leaning down I felt his black hair tickle my face and a soft kiss was planted on my forehead. My stomach did a little flip and I laid my head down on his shoulder.

"Thank you James," I spoke softly not wanting to ruin the moment. I looked at my red pajamas and saw that my hands were still within his, and he probably did not have any intention of letting go.

"I remember, you know?" James said suddenly. I lifted my head off of his shoulder.

"Remember what?"

"Your boggart. I was there too you know"

"I know. So was I. It was my boggart"

"You don't have to always be so secretive Athena. You can trust me" he finished. I sighed and rubbed my neck, still feeling the fingers on my skin.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what just got into me" he apologized. Once again the tears started flowing freely from my eyes. "Oh Athena, please don't cry, argh I'm so stupid!" his words barely reached my ears before I found my face being buried into his shoulder. He hugged me, and held me there for what seemed to be the longest while. We sat in silence, our hands entwined. Holding James' hand felt so different to holding Riley's. James was gentile and his hands were bony and his fingers were long, like a Quidditch player. Riley's hands were rough and thick. I hadn't thought about Quidditch in a while because all the matches got cancelled for "dangerous weather."

"Can I ask you something?" James questioned me. I had a feeling I knew what was coming, and I braced myself. "Do you…. Do you like me?" he asked. My stomach did a million flips. I didn't know the answer although I thought it was yes. Then again, I did have a boyfriend and he did have a girlfriend so there wasn't much we could do.

"Well. I guess, as a friend," the words felt foreign on my lips because they were far from the truth. His face fell. I knew I had just hit an ultimate low with James.

For once, here he was pulling all the surprises. I saw him move closer to me, his head advancing towards mine. I felt my body lean in, until I was so close that I didn't dare move. I could feel his warm breath on my face, and our foreheads collided. Our lips were so close that I was afraid my willpower would not be able to hold out any longer. He was breathing rapidly and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. James was an older man! If we kissed I would be kissing an older man! I inwardly smiled at the thought.

"Athena…" he pulled me out of my thoughts. We were closer than before, and I knew that this couldn't happen.

"I can't James… you have a girlfriend and I have a boyfriend. Goodnight James," I murmured and walked back up to my dormitory, heart aching with every step.

….

I awoke four hours later, and put my hand on my forehead. Did that really happen? It was probably all a dream, and James didn't ask me if I liked him. It felt real though, so real that I almost believed it. After getting dressed, I pushed the portrait open and headed down to the Great Hall. As I was walking down the stairs, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. Turning around I saw the distraught face of Tess. Her eyes were red and her hair was a mess.

"He-he b-broke u-up with m-me" she sniffed. Dropping my books right there, I enveloped her in a hug. Tess' body shook violently once again and then I felt her relax.  
>"It's okay; I'm so sorry Tess. I'm so, so sorry," I consoled. Her sobs increased as we stood there on the staircase. I felt angry with James, why did he have to do this? It was so sudden, although considering the past events (aka last night) it made me suspicious. I made a mental note to find him later that day and talk to him. As of right now, I had to make sure Tess didn't do anything stupid.<p>

…..

After many perilous classes and a ton of work, dinner rolled around. This meant it was time for to confront that boy. Tess just cried all day, I didn't realize how much she liked him.

"Oy, James!" I hissed as I sat down next to him. He looked at me and smiled. _Oh you git, you don't get a smile for that _I thought. "Why did you break up with Tess?" I muttered. The smile on his face broke and turned into a frown.

"Lets talk about this later Athena," he said through gritted teeth. The rest of dinner was eaten in silence. After I ate, I grabbed James by the arm and pulled him out of the Great Hall.

"What are you playing at? I thought you liked Tess!" my voice was deathly quiet.

"I don't know, it just wasn't working for me anymore" was his response. I let out a deep sigh.

"James, what is going on? Seriously? You know, I think I deserve an explanation" I was reaching my breaking point. Running his hand through his hair, James pulled me farther down the empty corridor.

"Athena, there is something… something really important that I need to tell you. It's about…" he faltered. Looking around he whispered "Riley." I rolled my eyes. What problem did he have with my boyfriend now?

"Yes, and what about Riley?" I scoffed. Shushing me, James looked around nervously again. Motioning for me to take a seat, we sat down and he took a deep breath.

"Do you remember the day when you found me in Hogsmeade? I was covered in blood?" I nodded. "Well it wasn't because I fell"

"HA!" I jeered.

"It was because he attacked me" his voice became softer.

"What? N-no. that's not possible" I whispered. Riley? Attacking someone? JAMES of all people! That seemed quite ridiculous.

"Why would he want to hurt you? I don't believe you Potter." I emphasized the use of his surname.

"Because of my family. He hates my family for some reason and decided it was time to get some sort of 'revenge' on me" James spoke softly. I was so shocked.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner? I could have done something! I would have broken up with him!" I was close to yelling at this point.

"He told me not to and I didn't want you to because you were happy," he mumbled. I paused for a second, trying to comprehend what he just said. He didn't want to tell me because I was happy? This was all too much. I needed to find Riley ASAP.

"I'm so sorry James. What did he do to you?" I questioned.

"Well as you saw, he punched me in the nose and then immobilized me" I was informed.

"THAT BOY IS GOING TO GET IT!" I screamed. Hugging James, I pushed my way through the hallway and ran to the Gryffindor tower.

…..

"RILEY THOMAS WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" I was so mad.

"Athena, what is going on? What's wrong?" he appeared at the bottom of the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories.

"What's wrong, is that you hurt James!" I screeched.

"I wouldn't!" he raised his hands.

"Whatever James told you, it was a lie," he tried to grab my hand.

"DON'T TOUCH ME! I WOULD BELIEVE HIM OVER YOU ANY DAY. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THIS!" at this point my mind wasn't functioning correctly.

"FINE! That git got what he deserved! All those freaking Potters think they are so cool because their dad is Harry effing Potter! What a joke!" he laughed.

"RILEY, WE ARE OVER!" I screamed in his face.

"Fine Athena, I was going to say the same thing to you today," he snickered.

"You are an ass Riley Thomas. Never talk to me again" my voice became deadly calm. At this point we had attracted some spectators. Pushing through them, I ran up to my dorm and buried my face in my pillow. The tears flowed freely for a long time and I couldn't get his laugh out of my head no matter how hard I tried it just kept playing in my head over and over and over...

**A/N: Hoping you liked this chapter! A lot happened. I think we are coming somewhere to the end of this story. Do not fear! There will be a sequel. It will be very interesting. We might now find out who her dad is in this story, but definitely in the next one. Thank you to **_**au revoir sim1, Ms. Theadore Nott, strukkfirst and yellowbutterflys **_**for reviewing! It means so much! Until next time :)**


	13. Surprises

_Dear Mum,_

_I have written you this letter to tell you that Riley and I have broken up. We broke up yesterday, and it wasn't for a bad reason. He did something really bad mum. He hurt James and they never told me about it, I don't think I can ever forgive him. James has been so understanding towards me, it's great. I don't know what I would do without him. It's exciting that I'm going to see you in a few days; we have a lot to discuss (you know what I'm talking about). I can't believe school is almost over, I've learned so much this year! Well, I'll see you in 5 days. _

_Love,_

_Athena _

…..

It had been a 5 days since Riley and I had broken up. Any time I saw him, I just glared and walked past. It didn't matter anyway, because I always had one of the boys at my side. Fred, James, Albus, Scorpius or Teddy; it didn't really matter. Then again there were always the girls there too. Tess didn't suspect anything between James and I (because there isn't anything). I had spent most of the last 5 days in the library. I was doing my research on the 1994-1995 Tri-Wizard Tournament; trying to figure out who this man was that attempted to kill Harry. Apparently, the school was smart and cleared most things on the tournament.

"Excuse me, Madame Pince?" I whispered to the ancient lady sitting at an old wooden desk in front of me.

"What is it child?" she snapped back.

"Well I was wondering if there were any books on the Tri-Wizard Tournament in the school year of 1994-1995," she frowned at this.

"You can check in the newspaper section, I doubt you will find answers in these books" she replied before motioning to a section in the back of the library. Smiling a bit, I picked my way down the isle until I reached the far section of the library. Turning the corner, I found a wall covered in different newspapers from different times and places. I spotted _The Daily Prophet_ section in the middle part of the isle. Finding a piece that was labeled _Tri-Wizard Tournament 1994-1995_ I pulled out all of the papers that were within that section. I started with the very first paper, which basically talked about the tournament and the people in it. Skipping ahead, I read about Harry and Hermione's "love." When I read that I started to chuckle a bit. Reading even further, I came to an article about Cedric Diggory and how he died.

_**CEDRIC DIGGORY – A TRAGIC MISHAP **_

_This year, the tragic death of 17-year-old wizard Cedric Diggory occurred during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The cause of Mr. Diggory's death is currently unknown. The Ministry of Magic is working hard on finding the cause of this boy's death. As we know right now, Mr. Potter witnessed the death of Mr. Diggory and brought his body out of the maze. He claims that Diggory asked him to bring his body back, and also claimed that it was You-Know-Who that killed Mr. Diggory. Of course, Potter had just endured a tremendous amount of trauma, and it is completely false that You-Know-Who has returned. Mr. Diggory will have a funeral with the company of his friends and family. The ministry will continue looking for the cause of Mr. Diggory's death until the answer is found. _

That was interesting, I didn't know that somebody had died. Harry mentioned that someone had merely tired to kill _him_! I made a mental note to ask Harry about this later. After rummaging through the papers some more, I found a headline that read:

_**ALASTOR MOODY – IMPERSONATED**_

I shuffled frantically through the papers, trying to find the article. Obviously this had been removed, the reason I did not know nor understand. Frustrated, I replaced everything and left the library even more curious then when I arrived. Walking down to the Great Hall, I sat down next to Rose, ready for lunch.

"I went to the library, to look for some information on my dad," I told her.

"That's great! Did you find anything?"

"Nah nothing much, just some stuff about this guy named Cedric Diggory. Also, I found a headline but there was no article. Some things were obviously removed and I don't understand why. How come we can't just read about these things! I probably will learn or hear about eventually!" I ranted. Rose just chuckled, and Teddy stared at me blankly.

"I've heard that name before. Cedric Diggory, Cedric Diggory" Teddy exclaimed.

"You have?" I was starting to get excited.

"Yeah. Harry mentioned him once to me, he didn't say much. Although he did say that Cedric died because of Voldemort and that he was only 17," he told me. I couldn't imagine my life being over in a few years; I just had so much to live for. Thanking god that nobody like Voldemort existed right now, I settled into my BLT and started to converse with my friends, who I probably wouldn't see for a while… or so I thought.

…..

"I owled my mum about you coming over during the summer!" Rose told me. I was slightly shocked. I didn't realize that they wanted me over for the summer.

"Really! That's awesome, what'd she say?" I questioned.

"Yes, of course! What else would she say?" Rose smirked. I grinned. We were in the process of packing up our items, I had my clothes strewn everywhere. Rose had her articles folded in neat piles on her bed and Tess had already packed everything. I was so disorganized; clothes were falling off my bed and out of my trunk. I chucked all of my books in the bottom of my trunk, and started to throw random shirts and pants in. My socks were folded together and stuffed in random areas. Frustrated, I decided that tossing _everything_ in there would be the best solution. A few minutes later, I had to sit on top of my trunk to close it. Sighing, I straightened my tie and skirt as well as made my way down to the common room. All my friends were sitting on the couches, holding things that looked like gifts.

"Athena, you know. You never mention your birthday once this year. James here told us that it was in APRIL. How could you not tell us about your birthday? It's June already!" Rose scolded. I could feel myself blushing. My birthday was long gone, why were they doing this for me?

"I don't know. Guys, you really don't have to!" I tried to tell them off. Tess pulled me onto the couch next to her, and I saw a huge cake sitting there with my name written on it. I gave each and every person there a huge hug, before digging into the cake. I got a lot of gifts: a Quidditch book from Teddy, A lot of candy from Tess and Rose, I turned to James expectantly. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me out of the common room.

"I think every post-birthday girl needs something," James laughed.

Suddenly, he leaned down and kissed. I was so shocked, that I found myself kissing back. There wasn't anything stopping me, no friend or boyfriend could get in my way of kissing this boy. It was pure happiness that kiss, I didn't want to pull away.

"Hey" I looked up sheepishly, into his eyes.

"Hey," he smiled. Taking James' hand, we re-entered the common room to find everyone waiting for us.

"Did you do it?" Fred burst out. James nodded. Laughing, I turned and hugged him again. Moments like this were just too good to be true, even if they happened a little late.

…..

For the second time that year, I found myself on the Hogwarts express. Not entering Hogwarts for the first time, but leaving for the first time. My year was more than eventful and I looked forward to a quiet summer with my mum. I knew we were going to hit a rough spot when we started talking about my dad. I felt the right that I needed to know, so I would definitely be mentioning it to her. Resting my head onto James' shoulder, I sighed.

"Guys, this has been one hell of a year eh?" I chuckled. Everyone smiled at me. I had yet to find out whom Rose was seeing all those months, but I had confidence she would tell me eventually. Looking out the window, I saw the train pulling into Kings Cross. Jumping up I looked frantically for my mum.

"I see your dad James…. Oh look there's my mum talking to yours" I commented.

As soon as the train came to a stop, I ran out and enveloped my mother in the tightest squeeze I could muster.

"Thee, I can't breeze sweetie" my mum wheezed. It felt so good to be back.

"Well Hannah, I'll see you soon!" Ginny smiled at us.

"Hello Professor, I mean Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter!" I flushed.

"Athena, it's Harry and Ginny" they smiled at me. Grinning back, I ran up to James and kissed him on the cheek. Taking my mum's hand, we walked through the barrier as she started to question me all about the year… and James. Of course.

**A/N: Wow! I hope you all had as much fun reading this story as I had writing it. There is 200% going to be a sequel. I will be starting it ASAP. Look for it on my profile. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers. I promise you that we shall find out who her father is, it is all part of the plan. The next story is going to be so epic, that you won't even believe it is happening. After I finish the next story, I might write a summer rendition. You know, just to see exactly what happened the summer between 3****rd**** and 4****th**** year. Please review and give me your thoughts on the ending, it might have been bad but I don't know. THANK YOU AGAIN! Until next time :)**


	14. IMPORTANT NOTICE PLEASE READ!

**Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading this story, it means so much to me, especially to all of you who reviewed! There is a sequel up right now, just look for it on my profile. It is called Time and Time Again and it is still James/OC fic. 2****nd**** generation. I really hope you go check it out, because is likely be even better than this one. Hehe. Until next time :)**

**- essence of your spark**

**My thank you's:**

**For adding this story to their favorites - cassibo, Edwardlvr2317, kaykay1307, Ran No Iwa, Twilight-lover106, wolfgirl517 and yellowbutterflys**

**For adding this story to their alerts - AliceMarieClearwater, cassibo, InsaneOnTheInside, nessa1998, random. spanish .girl, SakuraDagger15 and Twilight-lover106**

**THANK YOU EVERYONE! HOPE YOU GO READ THE SEQUEL! ENJOY!**


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